Article Abstract:
A recent study of college students (Spence, Helmreich, & Pred, 1987) demonstrated that the Jenkins Activity Survey measure of the Type A pattern consisted of two relatively independent factors labeled Achievement Strivings (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (II). Scores on the AS scale but not the II scale were significantly correlated with cumulative grade point average (GPA) on the basis of 2 or more semesters of work. Follow-up data on the academic performance of these students are reported here. Correlations between AS scores and updated GPAs that were based on at least 4 semesters of work were comparable in value with those reported by Spence et al. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, obtained from students' records, were also significantly related to GPA. However, SAT and AS scores were nonsignificantly correlated and combined additively to account for a substantial portion of variability in GPAs. The R squared subcharacter s in four independent samples ranged from .22 to .36. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
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Article Abstract:
Psychometric analyses of college students' responses to the Jenkins Activity Survey, a self-report measure of the type A behavior pattern, revealed the presence of two relatively independent factors. On the basis of these analyses, two scales, labeled Achievement Strivings (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (II), were developed. In two samples of male and female college students, scores on AS but not on II were found to be significantly correlated with grade point average. Responses to a health survey, on the other hand, indicated that frequency of physical complaints was significantly correlated with II but not with AS. These results suggest that there are two relatively independent factors in the Type A pattern that have differential effects on performance and health. Future research on the personality factors related to coronary heart disease and other disorders might more profitably focus on the syndrome reflected in the II scale than on the Type A pattern. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)
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Article Abstract:
If an employee shows high achievement motivation and interpersonal skills on a personality test, will it be reflected in better job performance? A test with airlines reservation agents found that at three months there was little correlation between the two factors. However, at six and eight months, significant links emerged. This has important implications for using personality measures in selecting employees.
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